Scarecrow
Professor Jonathan Crane, also known as The Scarecrow was a villain in Batman: The Animated Series. A sick and twisted man, his ultimate goals of crippling Gotham with fear were foiled by Batman. History Early Life Jonathan Crane was interested in the study of human fears and phobias ever since he was a child. Nicknamed the "Scarecrow" as a teenager, Crane was bullied and chastised for his scrawny appearance. The boys would call him "Ichabod Crane", for his resemblance to the fictional character. Crane loved the character, except when he came upon the part when Ichabod is disgraced by his nemesis. He was outraged by the fear that overwhelmed Ichabod and swore to never expose his fears to a bully. Academic Career Crane became a Professor of Psychology at Gotham University until his experiments in fear became too dangerous. He lost his job due to his obsession with inspiring terror in his patients and students. Crane turned to a life of crime and used various drugs, chemicals, devices, and his expertise in psychology to terrify whoever crossed his path. He took the name "The Scarecrow" which the bullies gave him as a boy, and would use it to become one of the most feared criminals in Gotham City.Nothing to Fear Criminal Career After assuming the identity of Scarecrow, Crane decided to get revenge against Gotham University and started a series of attacks on the university. This crime spree attracted Batman's attention and Scarecrow's plans were foiled by Batman. Upon escaping from Arkham Asylum, Scarecrow started his second scheme, which consisted on infecting professional athletes with his fear toxin and then bet against their teams for the money to fund his experiments. As a byproduct of these activities, Robin was affected by the chemicals as well and Batman started investigating the case, ending with Scarecrow's capture.Fear of Victory Shortly after this, Scarecrow escaped from Arkham Asylum and started a scheme for poisoning Gotham City on a massive scale, using the sewer system of the city. Batman started investigating the case, but was accidentally infected with fear gas and started having delusions. Batman was locked in Arkham and Scarecrow had free reign to work on his scheme. Fortunately, Batman managed to escape and stopped Scarecrow, who was in turn infected with his own gas before he was locked in Arkham again.Dreams in Darkness He was also one of the numerous villains who suffered under Lock-Up's brief security regime at Arkham; indeed, he actually broke out just to get away from him. Later, when Lock-Up was apprehended, the Scarecrow vowed to teach him new lessons in the true meaning of fear. Abilities * The Scarecrow's psychiatric genius and chemistry background are used to the fullest against his opponents. He typically employs some form of fear inducing compound (most frequently gas) in his plots. * He is also shown to utilize a large amount of farming tools, normally a scythe in combat on occasions, such as his fight with Batman in his mock trial where he accidentally decapitated Scarface. Appearances * Nothing to Fear * Fear of Victory * Dreams in Darkness * Joker's Wild (cameo) * Trial (does not speak) * Harley's Holiday (cameo) * Lock-Up Video Games *Batman: The Animated Series (Game Boy) *The Adventures of Batman & Robin (SNES) *The Adventures of Batman & Robin (Game Gear) References Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Living Characters Category:Bad Characters Category:Villains Category:Scientists Category:Arkham Asylum Inmates Category:Main Villains